


in your smile, the terror of a killer

by shizuoh



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Dreams and Nightmares, Gen, Non-Binary Chara, POV Second Person, Post-Pacifist Route, Reader Is Frisk, References to No Mercy Route, Sharing a Body, Soft Chara, ish, ive been listening to the undertale soundtrack all day and this is the result
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 08:06:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5449418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shizuoh/pseuds/shizuoh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>*Chara stares with a twisted grin.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>*You stare back.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>*You're filled with determination.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	in your smile, the terror of a killer

**Author's Note:**

> description is vague but i didnt know how to word it
> 
> anyways enjoy

They had been with you ever since the beginning. Ever since the first reset.

And they wouldn't leave. They whispered to you. Joked with you. Played with you.

~~_**Killed** with you._ ~~

You fell onto their grave, concealed by a bed of soft, yellow flowers that broke your fall. Then they were in your head, just as confused and scared as you were. Over time they became darker, fouler, more ominous. The more determination you felt, the stronger they got. 

_~~The stronger the urge to **kill** grew.~~ _

They wore your skin like it was theirs. They spoke through your mouth like it was nothing. They used your legs and arms to shuffle from place to place. They used your body like a toy to do whatever they pleased.

They used your hands to play in the ashes of those monsters that had fallen.

~~_The monsters they **killed**._ ~~

Then you decided to take matters into your own hands. 

When they reached the last corridor, you watched in horror as they took on Sans head-on, only to be obliterated in seconds. You pleaded with them, told them to go back, argued with them—

But they refused.

They went back. Over and over and over. They wouldn't give up. They kept on, kept pushing, kept shoving you down into the depths of a mind that wasn't even theirs.

You lost track of how many times Sans had killed them. It seemed he did too.

Finally, they got far enough for him to hesitate. They stopped, curious of his intentions. 

_*Sans is sparing you._

They were so surprised, so shocked, that their control over you slipped free only slightly. But you took that chance, dug your fingers through the dark wall that separated, and pulled it apart just so you could grab their presence and throw it back. You felt yourself wriggle your fingers again, wiggle your toes, and then came the tears.

You threw your— _their_ knife aside, and bolted towards his open arms, throwing yours around him. You buried your face into his chest, your tears and snot staining his sweatshirt. 

And he let out a slow chuckle.

You looked up, vision blurred and face smeared by tears. You wiped your eyes. Your heart stopped.

Sans grinned down at you with a look of pure hatred.

And then an endless number of bone encased you, trapping you with no mean of escape.

~~_And then he **killed**_ _you._~~

_if we're really friends..._

_you won't come back._

So you didn't.

 

* * *

 

Nightmares had become more and more frequent ever since Asriel, with the aid of the souls he had stolen, destroyed the barrier and monsters were allowed on the surface. It was rough being the monster ambassador, especially when there were many who weren't all too keen on the idea of monsters being above underground.

Meetings, speeches, and preparing proof on why monsters shouldn't be locked up was all really too much for you; at first, you assumed that's where the nightmares spiraled from.

But no.

Chara's presence still lingered. 

They had been considerably silent during the fight with Asriel, and you could feel their hesitation and doubt swirling around, mixing with your fear and determination. Then, when Asriel had been reverted back to his child form, Chara was gone completely.

They appeared again when you stepped into the sunlight, and their emotions were unreadable.

They hadn't said a word, but you saw them almost every night. They stood there, across from you in a dark corridor, smiling like they always do when you see them. 

But this time was different.

You stood in a dark corridor, light pouring in from an unknowable source, encasing Chara in a limelight. They were kneeling on the ground, back facing you, with a golden flower tucked in their hair.

You took a step forward.

Chara flinched.

"Chara," you said softly, and Chara's shoulders tensed. 

They didn't say anything back. 

You walked forward until you were standing behind them, and now that you were closer, you could see the second golden flower that they held in their dust-covered hands. Chara didn't move or speak as you knelt in front of them, trying to read their expression as their eyes gazed down at the golden flower. You wondered if they were thinking of Flowey (who, in fact, was now a houseplant residing in your bedroom). 

You decided not to speak. Neither of you ever spoke during these nightmares, and you had already broken that when you called out to them.

_*I'm a bad person._

You looked up.

_*I regret dying._

_*I'm sorry._

_*I miss my family._

_*I wish they would remember me._

Multiple voices came flying at you all at once, stinging your ears with the magnitude of emotions and sound. You felt your heart pulse with each word, and once you looked at Chara again, their face was stained with a black wetness—tears.

Chara looked up.

Their red eyes were filled with a black liquid that would have been terrifying were this any other time. But now, they just looked like a vulnerable child stuck in an endless hell. Your hands twitched, eager to wipe them away, but unsure of the consequences of touching them—you weren't even sure you _could_ touch them.

Chara's fingers trembled, and their hands tightened on the single flower. 

" _Do you think I will ever be able to do anything right?_ " 

Their voice was shaky, uneven, unsure. You felt bad for them, but then backtracked, assuming they didn't want pity.

You nodded firmly, wanting to tell them about how they had started doing everything right when they relinquished control and let you take over in order to save monsters and set them free. How they started doing everything right when they let you reset and back out of destroying the world.

You didn't want to see them as a _demon_. 

> _*The demon that comes when people call its name._

You had to remind yourself that this was a reincarnation of Chara, reinvented by your own determination. You wondered if the real Chara resided in them somewhere, encased by bloodlust and hatred.

You had to remind yourself that the bloodlust and hatred wasn't showing itself right now.

Chara was shaking, and despite your doubts, you reached out and touched their shoulder. They were cold to the touch, and you pondered if they were shaking because they were cold.

More tear spilled down their face like tar, staining their cheeks with black and smudging. They truly looked like a demon.

" _I've been replaced,_ " they murmured, and then looked at you with a hint of resentment, " _by you._ "

"No one has forgotten about you," you automatically said.

Chara laughed scornfully, but the tears didn't stop. " _That's stupid,_ " they said harshly, but their wobbly voice betrayed the tone their words were supposed to get across. Tears splattered onto the flower, running down the petals and coloring it charcoal. 

"It's not." You paused, and then added, "No one has forgotten you."

" _Everyone has._ "

"You don't believe that."

" _Mom, Dad..._ " Chara's voice cracked, and they hung their head. " _They don't remember me at all._ " They sniffed. " _I wonder if they hate me._ "

"They loved you. They still do, and always will."

" _I killed them._ "

"You did." You didn't even deny that one. "But you also spared them."

" _But I can't go back and erase that._ "

"We reset it."

" _That doesn't get rid of memories._ "

You had to agree with them on that one. Horrible, painful memories of the horror-struck faces and pained looks received during their path of genocide. The cries, the pleads, all going ignored and wiped away with the swipe of a blade.

"...Maybe it doesn't," you finally said after a moment's hesitation.

You sat in silence for another long while.

Then Chara spoke up, " _Do you hate me?_ "

The question was so timid, so hesitant, and you let out a small breath.

"No," you replied honestly. "I don't."

" _I'm sorry._ "

"For what?" you asked, even though you had an idea of what they were apologizing for in your head.

~~_I'm sorry for **killing**._ ~~

" _Everything_ ," Chara replied. " _I wish... I could go back, and stop myself from making that stupid plan. Stupid. Stupidstupidstupid—"_

"What's done is done."

" _Do you think Mom and Dad remember me?_ "

The question threw you off-guard, and you were silent, not expecting it. Chara, taking your silence as something else, lowered their head and tugged one of the blackened petals off the flower. They had stopped crying, but their shaky voice remained.

" _That's what I think too._ "

" _No!_ " you protested, startling the other. "I _know_ they haven't forgotten about you! Didn't you see the things Asgore kept around? Just to _remember_ you? You were their _child_ —one of their own. I know _neither_ of them would have forgotten you." 

You finished your rant breathlessly, your chest heaving with each inhale, and Chara was staring at you with wide eyes. They swallowed thickly, their shoulders flinching in on themselves.

" _I..._ " they said slowly, and sniffled wetly. " _I just want to say I'm sorry to them!_ " they yelled tearfully, choking on their own sobs. " _I was stupid. Idiotic. Why did I ever think it was a good idea...?_ "

"But this isn't your true self, is it?"

At your words, Chara froze. They stared at the ground with wide, shaking eyes, their fist clenching and unclenching as the flower fell to their knees. You let yourself relax, watching Chara with soft eyes.

_"I now know the true purpose of my reincarnation."_

The sudden echo made you jump, and Chara was suddenly towering over you, their shadow featuring a smile similar to the ones they made in your previous nightmares. You jumped up, startled, but Chara's face was sad, their smile betraying the trickle of tears blotching their face.

" _It was to set things right,_ " they murmured, idly toying with their fingers and tugging at their sleeves. " _To face what I've done. To come to terms with it. To realize my mistakes._ " 

They were crying, but their voice wasn't. They sounded...

_Determined._

" _...And I think I've done all that._ "

You charged forward, trapping them in a tight hug. Chara chuckled lowly, letting their head fall onto your shoulder, and you felt wetness staining your sweater. Chara's arms came around your back, their hand tugging at the back of your sweater and pulling you closer. You let them cry on you for what seemed like forever, and then Chara finally spoke up.

" _Frisk,_ " they whispered. " _Don't forget about me._ "

"Never," you said back.

_*Chara faded away._

 

**Author's Note:**

> i almost cried writing this


End file.
